Pictured is William "Silver B" Richards

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief

Obituary-CLEVELAND, Ohio-Funeral services have been announced for Cleveland activist and community advocate William "Silver B" Richards, a Cleveland resident who passed away on Thurs., Aug 30, 2022 at Cleveland Clinic-South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Hts, Ohio after a brave battle with cancer. He was 69.

Warrensville Hts is a largely Black Cleveland suburb.

Services are entrusted to Gaines Funeral Home in Maple Hts, Ohio.

Viewing is on Fri, Sept 9, 2022 from 5pm-8pm at Gaines Funeral Home, 5386 Lee Road in Maple Hts. The Wake  will  be held on Sat, Sept 10, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 11115 Kinsman Rd. in Cleveland,  and will be followed by an 11am funeral.

"Silver B was loved and respected in the community and he will be sorely missed."  said Cleveland Ward 1 Councilman Joe Jones.

Black on Black Crime President Alfred Porter Jr said that community activists will be there in support and to pay respects to the Richards family.

"This is a loss for us," said Porter of Richards' death. "Silver B was in the trenches with us on so many issues, from voting rights and women's rights, to education, housing, community policing, and Black on Black crime."

Richards graduated from South Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later studied comunications at Bera College in Berea, Kentucky. He was director of the now defunct East Cleveland Community Center for most of his career.

In addition to his community work, which included mentoring young people, Silver B, who resided in Cleveland Ward 1 the later part of his life, was an entertainment consultant who rubbed elbows with the likes of people like Joe Jackson, the father of music icon Michael Jackson, and Jay-Z.

He was active in the 11th congressional district community caucus under the leadership of the late former congressman Louis Stokes and his successors, the late former congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, former congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge, and current congresswoman Shontel M Brown. Silver B received commendations for his community work, including an award for his commitment to education in the 1990s from then Cleveland schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett.